Slitting and scoring machine



March 12, 1946. H. w. BRUKER 2,396,315

SLITTING AND SCORING-MACHINE Filed Nov. l, 1944 4 Sheets-Shea?l l March l2, 1946. H. w. BRUKERy SLITTING AND SCORING MACHINE Filed Nov. l, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 MKV INVENTOR /Mwa Lf. D. L,

o( ATTONw-Ew March 12, w46. H. w. BRUK'ER 2,396,315

l SLITTING AND SCORING MACHINE Filed NOV. l, 1944A 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR /LJ A. @WA4 L/am, dw?

March 12,1946. H. w. BRUKR SLI'ITING AND SCORING MACHINE.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. l. 1944 I INVENTOR i Arn/"oAql-TORNYvIsnlJ Patented Mar. 12, 1946 SLITTIN G AND SCORING MACHINE Hobart W. Bruker, Bordentown, N. J., assignor to George W. Swift, Jr. Inc., Bordentown, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 1, 1944, Serial No. 561,466

7 Claims.

The invention relates to slitting and scoring machines such as are used in the processing of paperboard, these machines being interposed between the so-called double facing machine which delivers the board in continuously traveling sheet form, and the cut-off which severs the continuously traveling board into blanks of desired length, for the purpose of slitting and scoring the continuously traveling sheet longitudinally on its way to the cutoff. The distances between the slits and scores have to be adjusted from time to time to accord with production requirements, and to shorten the time required to make adjustments of the above character it haslong been customary to provide two or more slitting and scoring units which could be moved selectively between an operating position and a disk adjusting position, so that while one unit was in operation during a production run, the operator could be adjusting an idle unit to position its slitters and scorers in the locations desired for the next run. The slitting and scoring operations have been performed by sets of rotary disks adjustably mounted on transverse rotary shafts located above and below the travel of the paper web and receiving the latter between them. The above movements of the slitting and scoring units between operating and adjusting positions, in the prior art machines, have required that one set of disks move across the path of travel of the paper web, and thus to enable one slitting and scoring unit to be substituted in operation for another, the paper web had to be severed before reaching the slitting and scoring units, and a gap created in the paper web at such units, through which gap the last mentioned disks could move in passing between operating and adjusting positions. To create this gap the feed of the paper web through the feeding and scoring machine was either slowed down or entirely stopped, which is undesirable from certain standpoints.

The present invention aims to provide a slitting and scoring machine wherein the operating parts are so constructed that the shift between operating and adjusting positions may be made without slowing down or stopping the feed of the paper web, enabling the machine to run continuously at any desired speed conformable to other` production requirements, and dispensing with the need of any eXtra cutoi to sever the paperboard web before reaching the slitting and scoring units.

The invention is particularly advantageous in installations where there is insufficient room at the side of the machine to permit the slitting and scoring units to be moved to an adjusting position at one side of the machine, as set forth in my copending application Serial Number 549,271 filed August 12, 1944, and entitled Paperboard slitting and scoring mechanism. Y

It is also an object of the invention to reduce the waste off-dimension production incident to the operation of substituting one slitting and scoring unit for another and to reduce the time required ,for such operation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the description hereinafter contained which, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred form of machine constructed to operate in accordance with the invention. The disclosure, however, should be considered merely as illustrative of the principles of the invention in itsu broader aspects.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a general side elevation, with certain parts cut away, of a slitting and scoring machine constructed to operate in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, also with certain parts cut away, of the machine shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view partly in section, showing one of the adjusting devices used in the machines of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig, 4 is a schematic side elevation showing the slitting and scoring machine in relation to the delivery end of the so-called double backing machine which eompletes and delivers the corrugated paperboard web in the form of a continuous sheet.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end elevation also partly in section, looking from the right of Fig. 1, and showing certain driving gearing forming a part of the machine.

Fig. 4 shows a sheet I of continuously traveling corrugated paperboard issuing from the delivery end of a double backing machine having 'the upper and lower drive pulleys 2 and 3, whereparallel strips indicated at la and lb in Fig. 4.

In accordance with the present invention I provide duplicate slitting and scoring units which are located at successive points along the travel of the corrugated web, and each unit is so constructed that its upper and lower sets of slitting and scoring disks which lie respectively above and below the path of travel of the paper web, may be moved back and forth between an operating, web engaging position, and a disk adjusting position wherein the upper sets of disks are located above and spaced from the path of travel of the web, and the lower sets of such disks are located below, and preferably spaced from the path of travel of the web.

Preferably in moving the' disks to adjusting position, the upper sets of disks are moved upwardly and the lower sets of disks move downwardly, although in instances where the male web penetrating disks are all positioned on one side of the web, it is possible (with some loss of convenience in adjusting) to omit the above movements for the sets of disks located on the other side of the web.

In adjusting the machine to shift from one production run to the next, the sets of slitting and scoring disks of the unit which has just completed a run, will be moved to the above described disk-adjusting position, the sets of disks of the other slitting and scoring unit (which have been been in disk adjusting position and have been adjusting during the run to the proper position for the next run) will be moved into operating position to start the next succeeding production run.

Preferably a small supplementary lateral adjustment of the slitting disks is also provided as hereinafter described in greater detail, so that While the slitting disks are in adjusting or resetting position, one set of disks may be displaced transversely a slight amount with respect to the other, and left in this slightly spaced condition until after the units have been moved back into operating position and reengaged with the paper web, whereupon this supplementary adjustment is again operated to bring the corresponding upper and lower slitting disks back into overlapping contact with each other. Preferably the slitting and scoring disks of the respective units are mounted upon separate shafts although this is not necessary to the invention in its broader aspects. When mounted upon separate shafts, the scoring disks need not partake of the last mentioned supplementary transverse adjustment. Preferably the slitting and scoring structures of each unit are also constructed to be laterally or transversely adjustable as a whole, to conform to the path of travel of the paperboard web. The invention is applicable to slitting or scoring operations performed alone or conjointly.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, I have there illustrated a slitting and scoring machine having two units of the character above described and which are ,duplicates of each other, so a description of one unit will suffice for both. The left hand unit as the machine appears in Fig. 1, has upper and lower sets of slitting disks 5 and 6 (see Fig. 2) carried respectively by the upper and lower shafts 1 and 8. Likewise the illustrated machine has upper and lower sets of scoring disks 9 and I0 carried respectively by upper and lower shafts II and I2. The above disks may be assumed to be of previously known or any appropriate construction, so as to be adjustable transversely rof the machine in the usual manner.

To afford lateral adjustment of the slitting and scoring structures as a whole, to conform to the path of travel of the paperboard web, they are preferably mounted upon a carriage which is slidable transversely with respect to the stationary supporting structure of the machine. In the specific form of machine which is illustrated, the stationary supporting structure is provided with a bed plate I3 somewhat longer than shafts 1, 8, II and I2, and upright frames I4 and I5 are provided at opposite ends of the bed plate I3. A cross piece I connects the upper ends of the frames I4 and I5, and an intermediate cross piece I'I underlies each slitting and scoring structure. these cross pieces I6 and I'i acting as guides along which the slitting and scoring structures may slide transversely as needed to aline them with the path of travel of the paperboard web.

An appropriate form of carriage for the slitting and scoring structure will now be described. As shown in Fig. 1 this carriage comprises upper and lower slide plates I8 and I9 respectively, which are held in sliding relation respectively to the cross pieces I6 and I'I by the guide strips 20 at the top and 2l at the bottom. The shafts l, 8, I I and I2 may be journaled at their opposite ends in upright brackets 22 and 23 (Fig. 2), which brackets extend between and are fastened to the slides I8 and I9, thus rendering slidable transversely, the rectangular frame which acts asa carriage for the slitting and scoring structures. An appropriate adjusting member will be provided for moving the above carriage transversely as needed to conform the slitters and scorers to the path of travel of the web, such as the hand wheel 2li shown in Fig. 2 as rotatably mounted in the frame I5, but held against axial movements with respect to such frame, and which serves to rotate a screw 25 having threaded engagement with the spindle I9.

Mechanism appropriate to move the slitting and scoring structures between operating and adjusting or resetting positions will now be described. In the particular form of the invention which is illustrated, each of the shafts 1, 9, I I and I2 is supported at one end by an eccentric collar 26. the details of which are shown in Fig. 3, said collar being rotatably mounted in the bracket 23. Collar 26 carries gear teeth which mesh with the pinion 21 on the spindle 28, which spindle extends across the machine and is also journaled in the bracket 22 at its opposite end. At its opposite end each of the shafts 28 carries a gear 23a (Fig. 2) meshing with a gear 2Gb fastened to an eccentric collar 2Gb similar to the collar 26, so that both bearings of each disk supporting shaft will be adjusted in equal amount and direction. Each of the shafts 28 carries a worm wheel 29 (Fig. 3) which is actuated by a worm 39 on a spindle 3| at one side of the machine. In the form shown, these spindles 3i are manually operated by an appropriate wrench applied to nuts 32 (Fig. l) the arrangement being such that when spindle SI is rotated the corresponding upper set of disks will be moved upward and the corresponding set of lower disks moved downward, or vice versa, depending on whether the disks are to be moved to operating or disk-adjusting position. Four of these adjusting mechanisms are provided in the illustrated form of the machine, one for each upper and lower set of slitting and scoring disks. When the disks of one of the slitting units have been moved to adjusting or diskresetting position as above described, the operator may obtain access to the upper disks to loosen them, slide them along their shafts to their proper reset position and then tighten them in place,

from transverse platforms 33 illustrated schematically in Fig. 1 as extending transversely across the path of travel of the paperboard web and located at the entrance and delivery ends of the machine. To adjust the lower sets of disks the operator positions himself underneath the path of travel of the paper web l.

Preferably a supplementary adjustment is provided for the slitting disks, so that cooperating pairs of upper and lower resetting disks may be slightly transversely spaced from each other when moved into overlapping, paper web engaging position. As shown in Fig. 2 the lower slitting disk supporting shaft B is provided with an endwise adjustment for this purpose, consisting of a threaded spindle 3d having a hand wheel 35 fastened thereto, and having threaded engagement with a bushing 36 mounted in a stationary housing 3l, the inner end of the spindle 34 being rotatably connected to the adjacent end of shaft 8 but restrained from axial movement with respect thereto, by a suitable thrust bearing 38 (Fig. 2). After the unit has been adjusted to disk resetting position, and the slitting disks reset to proper position for the next succeeding run as above described, the hand wheel 35 will be operated to move the disks ii slightly to the left, as the parts appear in Fig. 2. Then after these disks have been moved back into overlapping web-engaging position, the operator will move hand wheel 35 in the reverse direction until the overlapping portions of the disks 5 and 6 are in lateral contact with each other. Where the scoring disks are mounted on separate shafts, as in the illustrated embodiment, they need not partake of this last described transverse movement.

An appropriate driving mechanism for the slitting and scoring units will now be described. In the illustrated form of the invention, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 5, driving power from the drive shaft l is transmitted to an auxililiary shaft 39 journaled in suitable bearings 40, l on the outer side of the end frame I4, by means of sprockets 42 and i3 (Fig. 5) respectively on shafts l and 3b and chain 43a, the power being transmitted to shaft 33 from sprocket 43 thru an appropriate friction clutch i4 (Fig. 1) A bevel gear d5 (Fig. 1) on the end of shaft 39 meshes with a bevel gear 46 on the end of a stud shaft el (Fig. 5) which passes through and is journaled in end frame I4, the inner end of the stud shaft fl'l carrying a crank pin 48 (Fig. 5) which is engageable with a crank arm 49 on the adjacent end of a spindle 5t which extends across the carriage previously described, and is journaled in the brackets 22 and 23 so as to move transversely with the carriage. The opposite end of spindle 50 carries a pinion 5l (Fig. 5) which meshes with gears 52 and 53 on the corresponding ends of the shafts 8 and l2. These gears 52 and 53 in turn mesh respectively with gears 54 and 55 on the upper disk shafts 'i and l l, when the disks are in operative, web-engaging position. The upward movement of the shafts 1 and Il to disk adjusting position (and the downward movement of shafts 8 and l2 if both movements be provided) need not be sufficient to throw the gears 52, 513 and 53, 55 out of mesh. When the operator is ready to reset the disks he may operate the hand wheel 24 to move the carriage to the right (as the parts appear in Fig. 2) suiciently to disconnect the crank arm A9 from crank pin 48 and thus disconnect the drive from the disks to be adjusted. The eccentric collars 26 and 2Gb are so set that the lower disk supporting shafts 8 and I2 move substantially tangentially with respect to pinion 5l in passing between operating and disk adjusting positions. 'I'he duplicate scoring and slitting unit shown at the right of Fig. 2 may be understood as driven in the manner above described from bevel gears 45a and 46a (Fig. 2) and driving connections and associated parts like those above described.

The machine does not require that any of the disks move across the path of travel of the paperboard web in resetting them, and accordingly the web may run continuously through the machine at any speed consistent with other production requirements, and no cutoff need by provided in advance of the machine to create a gap in the web at the slitting and scoring machine in accordance with prior art practice. In starting a new production run the operator adjusts the spindles 25 and 3i of the unit which is to go into operation to move its disks to web-engaging position, adjusts the corresponding hand wheel 35 to bring the slitting disks of this unit into lateral contact with each other as above described, and adjusts the spindles 3i of the unit which is to go out of production to disk resetting position. After the new run has started, he may operate the hand wheel 24 thereof to disconnect the driving power` to the unit which has gone out of production, resets the disks thereof as above described, and operates the hand wheel 35 of such unit to space the slitting disks thereof transversely of the machine, thus placing this unit in condition tol be reengaged with the web for the next production run.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, it should be understood that changes may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A paperboard slitting and/or scoring machine of the class described having slitting and/or scoring units disposed in series one with respect to the other, each of said units including a supporting frame constructed to afford passage of a continuous paper web past said frame, a transversely adjustable carriage mounted upon said frame. upper and lower sets of web engaging disks rotatably carried by said carriage and located respectively above and below the path of travel of said web, and means also carried by said carriage to produce relative up and down movements of at least one of said sets of disks toward and away from the other. between a web engaging position and a disk adjusting position' wherein said sets of disks are respectively above and below the path of travel of the web.

2. A paperboard slitting and/or scoring machine of the class described including a supporting frame constructed to afford passage of a continuous paper web past said frame, a transversely adjustable carriage mounted upon said frame, upper and lower sets of web engaging disks rotatably carried by said carriage and located rel spectively above and below the path of travel of said web, and means also carried by said carriage to afford relative up and down movements of at least one of said sets of disks toward and away from the other, between a web engaging position and a disk adjusting position wherein said sets of disks are respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, and driving means for said sets of disks including driving and driven members carried respectively by said frame and carriage which are disconnectible by transverse movementJ of said carriage.

3. A paperboard slitting and/or scoring machine of the class described, having slitting and/or scoring units disposed in series one with respect to the other, each of said units including a supporting frame constructed to afford passage ci a Continuous paperboard web past said frame, upper and lower sets of web engaging disks rotatable with respect to said frame and located respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, and means mounting said sets of disks to produce relative up and down movements of at least one of said sets of disks toward and away from the other, between a web engaging position and a disk adjusting position wherein said sets of disks are respectively above and below the path of travel of the web.

e. A paperboard slitting and/or scoring ine.- chine of the class described, including a supporting frame constructed to afford passage o a continuous paperboard web past said frame, upper and lower sets of web-engaging disks rotatable with respect to said frame and located respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, means mounting said sets of disks to alord relative up and down movements of at least one of said sets of disks toward and away from the other, between a web engaging position and a disk adjusting position wherein said sets of disks are respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, and driving means for said disks which is operable to disconnect the same from driving power when said disks are in adjusting position.

5. A paperboard slitting machine of the class described having slitting and/or scoring units disposed in series one with respect to the other, each or" said units including a supporting frame constructed to afford passage of a continuous web past said frame, upper and lower sets of slitting disks rotatable with respect to said frame and located respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, means mounting said disks to produce relative up and down movements of at least one of said sets of disks toward and away from the other, between a web engaging position and a disk adjusting position wherein said sets of disks are respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, and means affording transverse adjustment of one of said sets of disks with respect to the other.

6. A paperboard slitting machine of the class described having slitting and/or scoring units disposed in series one with respect to the other, each of said units including a supporting frame constructed to aiiord passage of a continuous web past said frame, upper and lower sets of slitting disks rotatable with respect to said frame and located respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, means mounting said disks to produce relative up and down movements of at least one of said sets of disks toward and away from the other, between a web engaging position and a disk adjusting position wherein said sets of disks are respectively above and below the path oftravel of the web, means affording transverse adjustment of one of said sets of disks with respect to the other, and means affording conjoint transverse adjustment of both said Set of disks.

7. A paperboard slitting machine of the class described including a supporting frame constructed to afford passage of a continuous web past said frame, upper and lower sets of slitting disks rotatable with respect to said frame and located respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, means mounting said disksto aiord relative up and down movements of at least one of said sets of disks toward and away from the other, between a web engaging position and a disk adjusting position wherein said sets of disks are respectively above and below the path of travel of the web, means aording transverse adjustment of one of said sets of disks with respect to the other, means aording conjoint transverse adjustment of both said sets of disks and driving means for said sets of disks operable to disconnect the same from driving power when said disks are in the aforesaid disk adjusting position.

HOBART W. BRUKER. 

